Italian mayor begs Chinese tourists to inundate Agrigento

A small Sicilian city really, really wants more Chinese tourists. Marco Zambuto, the mayor of Agrigento, recently released an Internet promo video where he implored: “Dear Chinese friends, please overwhelm us.”

Photograph by: Screengrab
, Wikipedia

Si, si, all 1.3 billion of you!

A small Sicilian city really, really wants more Chinese tourists. Marco Zambuto, the mayor of Agrigento, recently released an Internet promo videowhere he implored: “Dear Chinese friends, please overwhelm us.” Zambuto also said he wants them to “inundate” the coastal city of 60,000 citizens, noted for its beaches and Doric temples. He added: “Please, come numerous [sic]...we will not fail you!” The mayor spoke Italian, but there were Chinese subtitles, and he made his closing pitch in Chinese. Wow. Let’s just hope he didn’t use the exact same lines on the Russians.

Talk about First World problems

A former Australian cabinet minister has sparked controversy with his new memoir, and it’s partly due to his complaints about travel. In his Diary of a Foreign Minister, Bob Carr laments having to “lie in my tailored suit” instead of being given pajamas on an international flight, and compares business class to “the trans-Atlantic slave trade.” Reportedly, Carr once complained to Singapore Airlines about their on-board entertainment, and got an apology that acknowledged “the lack of English subtitles for the Wagner opera Siegfried.” The 66-year-old Labor Party veteran has said such quotes are “self-parody” and not meant to be taken seriously. Next time, bring your own pajamas, mate.

Sheep need jobs, too

Visitors to England’s Arlington Court shouldn’t be surprised if they’re greeted by a special lamb at the 19th-century country house. Terry, a cute Jacob sheep who was born undersized and unsteady on his feet, has become head ranger Murray Sharpe’s assistant. Terry is bottle-fed every four hours, attends staff meetings, and drives around the 2,700-acre National Trust estate in Sharpe’s Land Rover. Sharpe told the Daily Mail that Terry “has really fitted into the team and seems quite happy to accompany me on the wide range of tasks I have each day.” In other words, Terry works harder than most Canadian senators.

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A small Sicilian city really, really wants more Chinese tourists. Marco Zambuto, the mayor of Agrigento, recently released an Internet promo video where he implored: “Dear Chinese friends, please overwhelm us.”

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